“Weeping
may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5b NKJV
In the midst of mourning, you
often can’t fathom how joy could possibly interrupt your grief. Back in
January, we lost our beautiful Aussie to cancer. When my husband mentioned
another dog, my son Josh and I vehemently opposed the idea. There was no room
in our hearts for any dog except Dixie—and she was gone. A few months later,
Josh mentioned if he ever got another dog, it’d be a black Lab. But he wanted
to be working and settled in his own place before that happened. He was in no
hurry to open his heart, nor commit himself, to caring for another pet.
Then early one Friday morning a
few weeks ago, after a night of storms, Josh was relaxing on the couch in front
of the TV. As a volunteer firefighter, he’d spent three hours during the night
cutting up downed trees in our district. Suddenly, he heard a whimper and went
to the front door to investigate.
“It’s a puppy!” He yanked open
the door and ran down the sidewalk and around the corner to the garage where
he’d seen it disappear.
Our garage was opened about a
foot because, for some silly reason, wildlife have decided to adopt our garage
as a nature conservatory. Unbeknownst to us until it was too late, a bird built
a nest in one of Josh’s dirt-bike helmets, laid her eggs, and hatched them. So
we couldn’t close the garage completely until the babies were ready to leave
the nest. We won’t discuss the huge black snake who decided to visit, as well. J
Wet, shaken, and trying to bark
like a dog ten times her size, the little black puppy finally allowed Josh to
scoop her up. Her bark became a whimper as he cradled her in a towel and rubbed
her dry. We fed and watered her and then discussed what to do.
I cautioned him not to become
attached to her. “She looks like a purebred Lab, so she probably wasn’t dumped.
She must live nearby because she’s too small to have walked far. Her owner will
miss her.”
Josh agreed then loaded her in
his truck to take her to our vet to see if she’d been chipped. She hadn’t.
He made fliers to put up in the
neighborhood. He admitted he hoped the owners wouldn’t show. After all, what if
her owner turned out to be a big, burly guy who treated her rough? (So much for
my cautioning him not to fall for her. J)
She was cute and wanted to be right where Josh was all the time.
By mid-afternoon the owner
called, delighted and relieved her puppy was safe. Josh was disappointed, but
he knew the angst of having a pet wander off. Dixie had done it more than once.
He always said he didn’t want someone just taking her home without attempting
to find her owners.
Before the owner came that
afternoon, Josh tried not to show his disappointment and hugged the puppy
good-bye. He said, “She’s reminded me of the joy of having a dog.”
The dog’s owner works at a local
church. She and her boss had prayed that morning the puppy would be found by
someone kind and gentle who would care for her. I jokingly said, “Yeah, Josh
prayed the owner wouldn’t turn up.”
But we explained how we knew the
right thing to do was to try to find her owners. During the conversation, we
learned she was one of a litter of puppies that were actually Lab and German
shepherd mix. The owner had given away the others but decided to keep the
little pup because she was so cute.
The lady appreciated Josh’s
honesty and willingness to do the right thing and said she might be willing to
give the puppy to Josh. We all agreed to pray about what the best thing would
be for all of us.
A week later, she called and
offered the dog to Josh. I can’t say it’s been easy dealing with a puppy after
having a mature, well-behaved dog like Dixie, but Josh is thrilled to have her.
I’m thrilled to see his joy after such a hard loss five months ago. We still miss Dixie terribly, but little Macy
has taught us that despite our grief, joy did come in the morning!
If you’re experiencing grief or
dealing with a tough life situation, please know I’m lifting you up in prayer
today. If you have a specific request, please leave a comment or e-mail me
confidential requests. I’d be glad to pray for you! J
Have you ever experienced an unexpected
joy? I’d love to hear about it!
Shalom,
Laura
© Laura Hodges Poole
